Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has called for Elon Musk to be brought before Parliament and held responsible for ‘inflicting harm on kids’ through his platform X.
Media regulator Ofcom should bring proceedings against the South African billionaire personally, he said at his party’s conference.
Speaking to Metro in Bournemouth yesterday, Davey said: ‘Elon Musk, I think, is a real threat to our country.’
He added: ‘I think we need to hold him and X to account.
‘If you look at the X platform, he allows things up there that are grooming, that are about self-harm, that are about child sex abuse. He should be ashamed of himself.’
An investigation should be launched into whether X and its owner have failed to uphold their duties under the Online Safety Act, he argued.
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The Lib Dems announced they would be tabling a motion when Parliament returns from its party conference recess, summoning Musk to appear before MPs.
This would give them an opportunity to hold him to account ‘for his actions at last week’s Tommy Robinson rally’, a party release said.
Musk made an appearance via video link at the Unite the Kingdom protest, which was organised by the far-right activist, last weekend.
He told attendees: ‘Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.’
Davey told Metro: ‘He comes beamed in by video link and essentially just incites violence.
‘He said civil war was inevitable in the UK, he called for the overthrow of a democratic elected government in our country. This is appalling.’
The Lib Dem leader attracted attention last week for responding to a Musk post calling him a ‘craven coward’ with a mocking meme featuring Spongebob Squarepants.
At a Q&A session in Bournemouth today, Davey backed the Online Safety Act and criticised Reform leader Nigel Farage for his stance against it.
Among other measures, the legislation requires age verification for websites that contain content deemed unsuitable for children.
In a statement, Davey said: ‘X has become a much more dangerous place for children since Musk took over and slashed the platform’s child-safety teams.
‘Promoting self-harm, grooming and sexual exploitation – all happening on Elon Musk’s watch. No wonder he wants to get rid of the laws to tackle it.
‘And Nigel Farage says we should give Musk what he wants: a Wild West on social media, that only benefits Musk and his ilk – while children suffer.’
Metro has contacted X for comment.
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